(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)

We enjoy most of those singing shows that are on TV – you know, the ones that pluck people out of relative obscurity and give them a chance to be a star? A1 even considered trying out for one when they came to town a few years ago (she should have; that girl can sing). So when we had the chance to try out the new Sing4: The Hits Edition, I knew it was going to be a winner.

Sing4 is unique in the fact that it’s the first singing game with high-precision lyrics that can tell the difference between actually singing and just humming. It also comes with 40 songs from artists like Train, the B52s, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Michael Bublé, Queen and many others. You can also download additional tracks to give you even more to choose from. The game has four modes: Solo, Duet (sing together, each taking a different part; highest score wins), Battle (up to four compete by singing the same piece, highest score wins), and Co-op (combined score; everyone sings the parts they’re best at).

The words come up on the screen, just like karaoke. And once A2 pointed out to us that the next line of lyrics was on the screen in the line under the current lyrics, we were all much more successful. The bars that are superimposed on the video (see below) let you know if the notes will be high/low or go up/down and also give you a sense for how long the sound should be held. You’ll also get instant feedback – like “Perfect!” and “Try Harder!”.

We’ve had a lot of fun with this game. There is a good mix of songs, so everyone is able to find something they like or at least remotely know the words to. I am glad, too, that there are more songs available via download (I hope they add more soon, too). Everyone took a turn – some braver (younger) folks took a few. Even Baby C. was doing her little “dance” while everyone sang. There was a lots of friendly competition; I have to be honest and say A1 and A2 kicked our butts. Still, it’s nice to be able to find a game the whole family can play together.

Sing4 is also sponsoring a contest right now. You could win $10,000 just by singing one of four songs and uploading your video. Videos must be uploaded by January 31st, 2012; visit their YouTube page for more info.

Where to Buy:

Sing4: The Hits Edition retails for $39.99; Amazon also has it with free shipping.

Want to Win?

One winner will receive a copy of the game plus the microphone. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below!

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I received a product in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Suggestions For Her(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)

You may already have your outfits selected for all the holiday parties this season, but have you thought about your accessories yet? One item I consider an accessory – and that I love to shop for – is nail polish. Nail polish to me is really quite awesome; it finishes off any look, is easy to change and allows you to keep up with seasonal trends without breaking the bank.

If you’re like me in your love of polish – or you have someone on your shopping list that is – you will love Julep’s holiday sets. Whether as a gift or stocking stuffer any of their polishes would be sure to please.

Julep is a boutique nail salon that is also a place where girlfriends can go to take a moment for fun and style. They want to be a space where women can gather and find themselves, to connect and celebrate as part of a community. They are very focused on their message and they put their money where their mouth is; $1 of every nail color sold goes to organizations that support women. Check out the below pilot clip of the PBS show “Trendspotting” to see more.

I love burgundys and other shades along those lines so I’m really enjoying the Demi polish in the Julep Holiday Reds set (see below). The Brooklyn shade is my next favorite of the three; I enjoy the touch of sparkle that really steps it up for the holidays. The third shade is called January and it’s a real, tomato-red with a bit of shine to it. I’ve never tried wearing true reds but I’m looking forward giving it a try at one of my upcoming parties. I love the quality of the polishes and how easy they are to apply. They also wear nicely; a lot of polishes chip I use chip after the first day or two because of the amount of time I spend at the keyboard and these did not. I’m totally in love.

And if you’d like to make an entire group of friends smile for the holidays, consider purchasing the Julep Spa Pedicure At-Home Party for 6. It comes with four polish colors, topcoat, basecoat, Pomegranate Body Creme, Cosmopolitan Mix and 6 each of the following: orange sticks, nail brushes, toe separators, nail files, and pedi slippers. (If Santa’s elves are reading I want this please.)

Where to Buy:

All of the holiday collections – and much more – can be found on Julep’s site. Both the Holiday Reds and Silver Belles collections retail for $42 and the Pedicutre Kit for 6 retails for $84 (a $145 value). As a special for you all Julep has given us promo code SHOPPINGFORSAVINGS – use it to take 15% off your purchase!

Want to Win?

One winner will receive the Holiday Reds Collection! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

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I received a product in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)

In addition to the cute Storybook PJs I shared with you earlier, Little Toader also produces the Appeteether. These “Appetizer Teethers” are a fun and unique choice of teether for your little one.

The Appeteethers currently come in two varieties (though a little birdie tells me additional selections may soon be on the way): Chompin’ Chicken Wing and Baby-Q Ribs. It’s kind of funny to watch your little one chomping away on their own BBQ rib.

The teethers were designed to me more than humorous – they’re made to reduce teething discomfort. All Little Toader teething toys are nontoxic, BPA-free, lead free, PVC free, and Phthalate free. Each batch of Appeteethers is tested by an independent third party organization to ensure the highest level of safety and comply with all Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements. They also have varying colors and textures to stimulate baby’s senses.

Baby C. loves hers; she chews on it all day. It’s held up excellently, even now that she is sporting one very sharp little tooth!

Where to Buy:

You can purchase Appeteethers from the Little Toader website. Regular retail is $14.99, but until December 31, 2011 everything is at least 30% off, so they are $9.99. They also come in a sampler pack with one of each for $18.89 (reg. $26.99).

Want to Win?

One reader will win their choice of a Chicken Wing or Rib teether. To enter click here and fill out the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the post.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Stocking Stuffer Suggestions(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)

Do you remember “cootie catchers” from when you were a kid? They were those folded paper “fortune tellers” that told you if Billy liked you, or if Sally was going to own a mansion when she grew up. They were the perfect decision-maker because they were readily available and easy to customize to the situation.

Cootie catchers have been reinvented; the new Cahooties have been developed to enhance the iconic game to deliver fun, learning and connection among tweens and their friends & families.

Cahooties come in nearly two dozen themes, including Birthday Diva, Slumber Party, My Fab Family and Dogs Rule (in partnership with Animal Planet). Each Cahootie comes with one durable, pre-folded laminated paper game printed with colorful graphics that match the theme, plus 40 removable stickers to help keep the game fresh. Just open the flaps on the Cahootie and place the stickers under each one – eight total. You then play the game, choosing flaps as you go, until the final flap is lifted to reveal a coordinating sticker and either trivia, a fortune, or a challenge.

We had fun playing with our Cahootie – it definitely brought back memories! This would make a cute stocking stuffer for a tween on your list.

One winner will receive a Cahootie of their own! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

ENTER HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway&lt;a href=”http://rafl.es/enable-js”&gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&lt;/a&gt;.I received product in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)

Are your kids interested in finances? Do they wonder how money is earned – and how to spend it? Would you like to give a gift that’s not only fun, but educational, too?

If the answers to those questions are yes, then you may be interested in the products that make up the Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace for Kids line. The products – which include books, a bank, and a kit full of items – help kids develop financial expertise in fun, easy-to-learn manner.

The book series is based on Junior, a young boy who learns the valuable lessons of giving, sharing, and spending. There are six illustrated books in the series that cover lessons like “Junior Discovers Spending,” “Junior Discovers Work,” and “Junior Discovers Integrity.” The books are also available in an audio format and come in an aluminum lunchbox with Junior and his friends on the front.

The Financial Peace Jr. kit comes with wet-erase boards to keep track of savings and commission; an activity book with stories and games; magnets for giving, saving, and spending; a kid’s sized calculator; envelope system; and an instruction manual for parents. The kit helps parents teach kids how to implement the principles they read about in the book series.

Junior also has a bank, divided up into sections for Giving, Spending and Saving, which lets kids apply in real life what they are learning. The bank features the characters from the Junior book series and is clear plastic so that kids are able to see their money grow. The kit is great, too; the activities

I think these products would be great for any kid who is starting to be curious about how money works. I especially like the bank with it’s separate sections. Teaching kids from a young age to set aside money for both savings and charity is an important lesson, in my opinion. I also enjoyed that everything was approached in a fun way, and not “oh-my-goodness-if-you-don’t-save-now-you’ll-wind-up-living-in-a-box-during-your-retirement” kind of way. Honestly, I would have loved to have had this set when I was a kid.

Where to Buy:

All items are available from Dave Ramesy’s website. The set of 6 Junior books is available for $59.99; the audiobooks are available in a collectible lunchbox for $39.95; Financial Peace, Junior retails for $19.95; and the bank is available for $19.95. You can purchase all three as one set if you purchase theKid’s Monster Pack which is on sale for $49.95 (save 58%!).

Want to Win?

One winner will receive the Kid’s Monster Pack! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. You will notice something new with the Rafflecopter form. You can either log in with your Facebook account OR enter your name and email (the link to click is just under the Facebook log in). Once you log in, you will see the mandatory entry/entries. After completing the mandatory piece, the optional entries will show. You can complete as many or as few as you’d like. When you come back each day, the items you’ve already completed will be grayed out and only the ones still available for completion or the daily options will show. Logging in just allows the Rafflecopter form to be record for you what you’ve already done – so that you don’t see a giveaway two weeks later and say “Did I do that already?” or if you have to leave the page and finish entering later, you can pick up where you left off.

ENTER HERE:

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I received the Kid’s Monster Pack in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

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Copyright 2009-2013, Views From the 'Ville. All rights reserved. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship or other compensation. This blog may contain affiliate links within posts. All opinions shared are the honest opinion of myself and my family. Others' experiences may differ. Views From the 'Ville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com